Scottish Beef And Vegetarian Stovies Recipe Eating in has a delicious goose fat stovies recipe which is ideal for the leftover goose fat from Christmas roast potatoes. The National Trust for Scotland book The Scottish Kitchen by Christopher Trotter describes where the meal gets its name which is from the French word etuve which means to cook in its own juices. Other names include Stoved Potatoes. It can be cooked on the hob or in the oven (gives a nice browned crispy coating). There are various Scottish stovies recipes depending on taste. The amount of stock used can vary and really depends on how moist you prefer the dish. Meat used varies from chicken, beef and lamb. Some people use tinned corned beef. The best I've ever tasted is at Mrs Bridges in Peterhead who use beef. It is best served with oatcakes. Below is my mum's, cooked the day after the Sunday Roast. The book Scots Cooking: The Best Traditional and Contemporary Scottish Recipes by Sue Lawrence describes the English equivalent as being a dish called Pan Haggerty which is cooked in the North East of England.

Pan Haggerty is slowly cooked in dripping in a deep covered frying pan and consists of sliced onions and potatoes and would traditionally be served on a Monday after the Sunday roast. Stovies Recipe Left over Beef diced up 4 large Tatties partially boiled and sliced 1 thinly sliced onion 1 tablespoon of dripping from the cooked beef A wee bit of beef stock Salt and Pepper has a stovies recipe with additional ingredients such as diced turnip and sliced carrots. Scottish Stovies 1. Add a wee bit of lard to a pot and gently cook the onions until soft. Add the beef (chicken/lamb can be used if prefered). Add salt and pepper. The book Nick Nairn's New Scottish Cookery has a healthier stovies recipe that uses sunflower oil rather than beef dripping. 2. Cover with tattie slices and cover with the stock depending on how moist you prefer the meal. We add a wee bit and top up as required. 3. Simmer on the hob for about an hour or cook in the oven at 190c for about 50 minutes. 4. Serve piping hot with oatcakes, beetroot and skirlie .

If you like our Traditional Scottish Recipes and would like to easily share them with your friends and family please use the social networking buttons below: Win ï¿½250 of Scottish food when you join the Donald Russell newsletter Beef Stovies The Book Maw Broons Cookbook has a beef stovies recipe taken from the Housewife Weekly cut out and keep Scottish Recipes collection. It uses turnip and carrots as optional ingredients and varies slightly from our ingredients in that it uses nutmeg, more onions and cooked lamb or mutton though does suggest meat alternatives of beef, lamb or fish. Buy Maw Broon's Cookbook at a discounted price and with free delivery available. It also has a stoved tatties recipe which is much like a vegetarian stovies recipe that uses just potatoes, butter, onions, pepper, salt and water as its ingredients. Vegetarian Stovies A vegetarian stovies recipe, from the Scottish actor Alan Cumming, can be found in Taste Ye Back: Great Scots and the Food That Made Them. The brown colour for this is achieved with Worcestershire sauce. Another variety of Scottish stovies that we love is this chicken stovies recipe. A traditional Scottish stovies recipe will use left over beef or sometimes lamb from the Sunday roast.

In this chicken stovies recipe the left over chicken is used. Though it is equally as delicious with smoked chicken. Ingredients: 750g of par boiled and chopped potatoes 100mls of chicken stock Chopped parsley for the garnish How to Make Chicken Stovies Heat a small amount of oil into a large pan and fry the chopped onion until it turns brown. Add the chopped chicken and potatoes. Fry for several minutes until the chicken and the tatties turn a light brown colour. Add the chicken stock and simmer until it becomes absorbed. The potatoes should appear cooked and this can be tested by breaking them with a fork. The tatties should easily crumble. Turn off the heat, sprinkle with parsley and serve. As an accompaniment serve with traditional Scottish vegetable recipes such as Rumbledethumps and Clapshot if you do not mind another potato dish. Whichever you choose do serve with a side serving of Skirlie . A wonderful pudding to serve afterwards is Cranachan . Another chicken stovies recipe is in The National Trust for Scotland book The Scottish Kitchen by Christopher Trotter which is called Stoved Chicken. The book The Scots Kitchen by F.

Marian McNeill has fish stovies recipe called limpet stovies which originates from the Isle of Colonsay. Stovies canapes were served to the guests of Dragon's Den star Duncan Bannatyne during the BBC 2 program Out of the Frying Pan by James Knight-Pacheco and Alasdair Hooper. They were the second place contestants in The Restaurant in 2008. Other Scottish canapes produced by James Knight-Pacheco and Alasdair Hooper included haggis canapes and Arbroath smokies canapes. Best Stovies In The World Competition In October 2007 cooks in Huntly, Aberdeenshire launched a campaign to find the best stovies recipe during their annual Huntly Hairst Halloween and Food Festival. The Best stovies in the world competition is open to anyone in the North East of Scotland and worldwide. It is being led by the chef at Park lane restaurant in Huntly, Margaret Paterson. Cooks were asked to bring their samples in a flask or food container to reheat at the venue where celebrity food critic Nell Nelson will judge them.

Nell Nelson will be familiar to television viewers from the TV series The Woman Who Ate Scotland where she cycles around Scottish cafes, restaurants and food suppliers sampling Scottish food and drink. It is hoped that the best stovies in the world competition will help put Huntly on the map as the stovies capital of Scotland and the UK. The judging for the campaign took place on Saturday 4 November 2007. Strict criteria for entry was that Scottish beef must have been used - no corned beef permitted! To read more about the Huntly Hairst visit our other website AboutAberdeen.com and read the Huntly Hairst Halloween Food Festival page. Journalist and Radio Scotland presenter Edi Stark describes a stovies recipe in Taste Ye Back: Great Scots and the Food That Made Them which is made from lamb and served with thyme roasted beetroot and oatcakes. 18 @ January @ 2013 @ Camel Community Supported Agriculture 500g fairly firm-fleshed maincrop potatoes 80g mature cheddar cheese sea salt, freshly ground black pepper Method Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5.

Melt half the butter in a 20-25cm ovenproof frying pan over a medium-low heat and fry the onions for about 15 minutes, until soft and golden. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and slice them very thinly (use a mandoline or the slicing side of a box cheese grater). Set aside a good pinch of the cheese – about 10g. Scoop the onions out of the pan. Layer a third of the sliced potatoes into the still-buttery pan, then add half the onions and half the cheese. Season well. Repeat the layers, then finish with a final layer of potatoes. Dot the remaining butter and the reserved cheese over the top and season. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender all the way through and the top is golden. Serve piping hot. Recipe and photograph from The Guardian David Hall: January 2008 Convenience Store The most common reasons for people reaching for convenience food are through either a lack of confidence in the kitchen, or a busy lifestyle. I feel that I'm qualified to say that; I speak to busy parents of little ones who lack inspiration in the kitchen every single day in my job.

It gives me enormous pleasure to say to people that all is not lost - just follow a few simple no fuss ideas using store cupboard ingredients and you will be cooking fast and healthy food in no time. It is often met with pessimism, but once the demonstrations are finished, the transformation is often complete. Simple and cost effective is the way forward. Cous cous is a fantastic product to keep in the store cupboard as an alternative to pasta and rice. It cooks in no time, it soaks up any flavours that you put in there and it makes for a lovely carbohydrate bed to balance up a plate of protein and vegetables. It may surprise readers to know that a lot of the people I teach still walk past cous cous in the supermarket as they assume it is a difficult product to make, or simply don't know what it is. A squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil is often all you need to put flavour into cous cous. But it is great to experiment, so get out the sauces, vinegars and oils and have a play. This recipe is one that we turn to quite often as it uses two staple store cupboard ingredients that never run out - soya sauce and tomato ketchup.

Before you retch or write this off as utter madness, all I can say is that it works and it is a hell of a lot better than reaching for the pot noodle. Stir in a few pan roasted vegetables and an oily fish, in this instance a Craster kipper, and you have a delicious balanced plate of healthy food in the space of 10 minutes. Fast food of the highest order. Kipper Cous Cous A couple of handfuls of mushrooms of choice, sliced 1 red and green pepper, sliced 2 tbsp olive oil 400ml hot stock or water 2 kipper or smoked mackerel fillets, chopped A handful of sun dried tomatoes, sliced A couple of handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped 2 tbsp tomato ketchup or tomato purée 2 tbsp soya sauce Juice of 1 lemon Fresh mint of parsley, roughly chopped 1 - Heat up the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the mushrooms and peppers and cook for 5 minutes on a high heat until beginning to soften and turn golden. Add the kipper and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

2 - Put the cous cous into a large bowl then pour on the hot stock or water. Cover and leave for 5 minutes. 3 - Fluff up the cous cous with a fork then mix in the ketchup/purée, soya sauce and lemon juice. Stir thoroughly. 4 - Finally, stir in the cooked vegetables, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and herbs. Posted by A Hearty Soup Since the turn of the year, I have not stopped. The demand for the Expo Chef show within schools appears to be on the increase, and with thousands of children up and down the country to teach, that means that my colleague Mark and I are running around at 100 mph. I'm well aware that when I am like this, my creative juices within the kitchen environment don't flow as easily as I'd like them to. And that means that new recipes are few and far between. In a discussion about this last night, I realised that all I was making this year were typical family meals; meals that that I would think aren't good enough for the Blog. And then I realised that I was talking nonsense. Why would they not be good enough?

After all, in my daily job of helping to educate children and their parents, there is never enough information for people who just need a little inspiration, to show them how easy this cooking lark can be. So I've decided that I am going to keep it even more simple than usual until I find the time to start inventing new dishes. The food I cook for my family, be it a Shepherds Pie or a simple pasta sauce, will all feature. And I'm even going to start a new category called, 'Easy Family Meals'. Happy days! Today I'm starting with a good old soup. This soup references the wonderful Joanna of Joanna's Food and Heart Of The Matter . Joanna started a Blog after experiencing the pain of heart attack within her family. I can relate to that as my mother's husband had a heart attack just over a year ago, and although he has recovered, I'm constantly plying them with recipes that will aid recovery and ensure that it hopefully does not come back. More importantly, I suspect that Joanna has realised through the need to adapt a diet that simple and healthy food can be utterly delicious. A bonus all round. Ensure you read her entertaining Blog and indulge in some of her top notch tasty heart healthy food.

Oh, and enjoy this heart healthy filling soup. Brown Lentil, Smoked Bacon and Swede Soup Feeds 4 2 sticks of celery, diced 2 cloves of garlic, sliced 4 rashers of lean smoked bacon, rind removed 2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil A pinch of chilli flakes A few sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed, or 1 tbsp dried thyme 1 small swede, peeled and cut into small cubes 250g brown lentils A good splash of Worcester Sauce 500ml hot vegetable stock, fresh or from cube (if cubed, ensure it is the low salt variety) 1 - In a large pan, heat up the oil. Add the onion, celery, garlic and bacon and cook for 5-10 minutes until softened and beginning to colour. 2 - Add the thyme and chilli flakes and stir for 1 minute. Then add the turnip, Worcester Sauce, lentil and stock. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer with the lid on for 25-30 minutes. Check to ensure that it isn't boiling dry.

3 - Serve with good a swirl of yoghurt, heart shaped if you like. Posted by Me and Twee The first time I ever made a canapé was on MasterChef. Talk about pressure. We all made our way down to a huge Manor house and were told that we were going to re-enact a menu from when Queen Victoria opened the place. Piling on the pressure, we were also told to create a few canapés from the ingredients provided for hungry guests. Canapés are rather twee, and twee and me aren't a match made in heaven. It all turned out well in the end and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Then a year passed, and I was asked to do some canape demonstrations last week in the aftermath of party season. One year is a long time to recollect anything, so it was back to the drawing board. Tiny fronds of herb balancing on a minute tower of produce. Paper thin shavings of rare beef teetering on tiny quinelles of chestnut purée. I pulled it off and in turn, I found a new me. The whole event was a success, and I found that twee ain't such a bad thing.

Even the hungry Geordies applauded me on a side I never knew. Or were they just happy for a free feed? The most popular canapé was a blini topped with a little lemon scented Greek yoghurt, smoked salmon and dill. They were popped into mouths faster than I could knock them out, but fortunately they were the easiest to make. Give them a try. You might find a side to you that you never knew. PS The rather wonderful photo of my canapés were taken by a smashing fella called Christopher Best . Check him out, you will be impressed. Blinis with Smoked Salmon, Dill and Greek Yoghurt For the blinis Greek yoghurt Freshly ground pepper 1 – In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, eggs, salt and enough milk to make a thick batter. 2 - Melt the butter in a small frying pan. Drop 2 separate tablespoons of the batter into the frying pan at a time, allowing room for each blini to spread out. 3 - Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until cooked through and golden. Remove and set aside on kitchen paper before cooking the next batch.

4 – Roughly chop the smoked salmon and put into a bowl. Squeeze over the juice of the lemon and a good grinding of black pepper. 5 – To assemble, put a teaspoon of Greek yoghurt onto a blini, followed by some smoked salmon and top with a piece of fresh dill. Posted by British Pudding Party Puddings, Great British puddings, are a thing close to my heart. You may or may not have read my past ramblings on our puds, but it is something I can't speak about without excitement. I want to shout each and every pud that we have created from the rooftops and demand that that they return to our menus; jam roly poly, treacle puds and spotted dick to name a few. British puddings aren't elegant. No thin crispy wafer like pastry, no towers, and no quenelles. Our puds are tummy fillings monsters that banish any lingering hunger within a few mouthfuls. Usually smothered in delicious creamy custard (hopefully home made; quicker and far more delicious that waiting for a kettle to boil before pouring onto powder), it takes a brave man to face a bowlful immediately after a full Sunday roast.

Over at the fantastic Rosie Bakes A Peace Of Cake , I seem to have found a lady after my own heart. For Rosie not only writes about and creates some fantastic puddings, she also sets a Great British Pudding Challenge each month. And I for one cannot resist a challenge, especially one that entails a classic pud. January's challenge was a pudding that I adore but unbelievably have never made - Sussex Pond Pudding. Not only does this pudding have a brilliant name, it is also delicious and a great conversation point when served at the table. Cut into a Sussex Pond Pudding, and you are met by a whole lemon. This lemon has been steamed in a rich suet crust for hours on end along with some butter and sugar to create a heavenly zest packed sauce, or 'pond'. Any of my foreign friends who are reading this who harbour a suspicion of our tummy busting puds, I beg you to give this one a go. It will hopefully indicate that we Brits hide subtle beauty behind a wall of suet pastry. And also that we make the best puddings in the whole wide world! If you still don't believe me, pop over to Rosie's and take up a challenge.

Sussex Pond Pudding 100g shredded suet, normal or vegetarian Water 150g cold butter, cut into small cubes 150g demerara sugar 1 large lemon, pricked all over with a sharp knife 1 - Butter a medium pudding basin. Place a steamer onto boil then lower to a simmer ready to place the pudding in. 2 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, suet and salt, then pour in enough water to form a firm dough when mixed. 3 - Roll out onto a floured surface and roll into a disc just larger than the bowl. Cut out one quarter of the pastry to use as a lid. Line the pudding basin with the dough, wet the seam where it was cut and press to seal. Trim off the top just above the rim of the bowl. 4 - Take the cut off dough and roll until slightly bigger than the bowl. Cut into a rough circle. 5 - Place half of the butter and sugar into the bottom of the dough, place the lemon on top then put the remaining sugar and butter onto the lemon. 6 - Place on the pastry lid, wet the edges then press down the edges of the pastry until well sealed.

7 - Take a large piece of foil and fold in half. Butter one side then form a pleat in the middle by folding over slightly twice. Place this over the bowl then tie securely with a piece of string. 8 - Place into the steamer and steam for 3 and a half hours. 9 - When cooked, turn up onto a plate and serve with custard or cream. Posted by Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now (but not for long) I've been feeling quite uninspired of late. I'm not sure if it is the relentless dark skies and drizzle we seem to be suffering up here in the North East, but something is suffocating my usual enthusiasm for all things edible. Not even the installation of King Kevin Keegan back at Newcastle Utd has got me kick started. Yet. It won't last for long. When food is concerned it never does as there is always something to get you excited. Yesterday was one of those, 'I want a dessert but I'm feeling uninspired and miserable and there is nothing in the house', days. A quick peek around found a tub of yoghurt, a lemon and some pistachio nuts to make a very simple but impressive palate cleanser of a dessert.

It is this kind of thing that gets me inspired again. Sometimes too many ingredients in the fridge can lead to inspiration shut down, where as working with the bare minimum can have you cooking like no tomorrow. This dessert entails 5 minutes of your time and a few hours freezing. The smack of lemon zest and juice and the sharp yoghurt are smoothed by a little honey, and the nut provides a pleasant texture. It was just what we needed after the spicy nettle curry. Maybe my spark has returned and I just don't know it. But either way, this is indication that good food is a thing of simplicity, that anybody can do it and that it needn't cost much money. Be inspired. Lemon, Pistachio and Yoghurt Ice 500ml natural yoghurt Zest and juice of one lemon A couple of handfuls of pistachios, roughly crushed 1 - In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Taste for sweetness, it may be too sharp for your palate. 2 - Pour into an airtight container and place into the freezer. If you have an ice cream maker, all the better as it will be done in no time.

3 - For people like me who don't own an ice cream maker, there are two ways you can do it. Every hour, take a fork and beat the mixture thoroughly to break down and distribute the ice. Or you can freeze for 3-4 hours then blitz in a food processor. 4 - Serve with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkling of nuts. Posted by A Curry With A Sting In this ever increasing world of global warming, with seasons becoming a little less predictable and generally warmer, odd things are happening amongst the hedgerows of Britain. I was out walking at the weekend and there, sprouting out in a menacing manner, was my favourite wild herb - the nettle. This wasn't an old tough bitter specimen left over from 2007. It was a young and tender set of new shoots awaiting a bare hand to sting. And it was 2 months early. Fortunately I had my gloves on, so like David Bellamy, I got amongst the undergrowth and pinched a few handfuls. Walkers avoided eye contact with me as I looked clearly insane delving into the foliage with an excited smile on my face, and who could blame them? I love nettles.

For me, they combine all that is good about our wild edible food along with a sense of danger. Well, as dangerous as wild food is ever going to get in Britain. One sting from a wild nettle and you know all about it. As a 7 year old, I ran naked into a whole pile of stinging nettles one hot 1970s caravan holiday in the Lakes. Dock leaves and Calamine Lotion were no relief and I spent two weeks feeling sorry for myself indoors instead. Quite why anybody would want to put one into their mouths may appear strange, and if I was seven years old I would have ran a mile. 31 years on, I can't get enough. A quick wash and pick and a few minutes in a pan, just like wilting spinach, is all that is required to null any sting. Squeeze out excess water then use in a multitude of recipes for a delicious and original flavour along with plenty of vitamins and iron. And it is free. I used my few handfuls in a simple curry, accompanied by some potatoes and mushrooms for a nice little twist on a vegetarian curry with a real sting.

Nettle, Potato and Mushroom Curry Feeds 4 2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil 3 large floury potatoes such as Maris Piper, peeled and cubed 100g button or chestnut mushrooms, halved 1 thumb size of ginger, peeled and chopped 6 cloves of garlic, peeled 1 large red chilli or 1 tsp of dried chillies 1 tbsp garam masala 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 300ml vegetable stock 4 handfuls of nettles, washed, picked, blanched, squeezed and roughly chopped Salt and pepper 1 - Heat up the oil in a large pan and add the onions. Cook, stirring, until golden. 2 - Crush the ginger, garlic and chilli with a pestle and mortar until you have a paste, or blitz in a food processor or finely chop. 3 - Add the paste and spices to the onions and cook stirring for 1 minute until fragrant. 3 - Add the potatoes and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. 4 - Add the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and the sauce has thickened slightly.

5 - Stir in the nettles then taste for seasoning. Serve with basmati rice and/or breads and chutneys. Posted by Rib Stickers I fell in love with puddings when I was at school. From a very early age I can remember trays of various puddings being served after the over-boiled vegetables had bade a welcome farewell. Jam and coconut sponge, jam roly poly, tapioca or frog spawn as we fondly called it, and chocolate sponge. Good old British puddings, rib stickers as my nana used to call them; huge, cheap and filling. By far and away my favourite was the treacle pudding. The way the sponge soaked up that amazing invention golden syrup always amazed me, and even as I type, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Pathetic I know, but such fond memories. I even loved the mint custard they served up with its centimetre of skin on the top. Due to my job of teaching children about healthy food and the fact that just the sniff of a pudding seems to pile on the pounds, I have to be careful how often I indulge.

A once a week treat isn't overkill, so risking the apathy of traditionalists, yesterday I had a tweak on the classic treacle pudding. A boiled citrus fruit, in this instance a satsuma, made for the perfect zesty purée to fold into a slightly spiced sponge base. It went down a treat. So much so that I ate half of it in one sitting without feeling any guilt. And it is still sticking to my ribs. Enjoy. Spiced Zesty Treacle Pudding 1 satsuma, tangerine or small orange 100g butter or margarine A pinch of salt (if butter unsalted)1 tsp mixed spice 3 eggs 8 tbsp of golden syrup 1 - Place the fruit into a small pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 30-40 minutes until soft. Remove, allow to cool slightly, then cut in half and remove any seeds. Blitz in a food processor into a smooth pulp and set aside. 2 - Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C, GM4. Butter a medium pudding dish. 3 - In a large bowl, cream together the butter/margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy.

4 - Combine the eggs one by one. Don't worry if it curdles, it will all sort itself out. 5 - Fold in the flour, salt, spice and fruit and combine thoroughly. 6 - Pour the syrup into the pudding bowl. Then pour on the fruity spiced pudding mixture. Butter a piece of foil, add a pleat by folding it over in the middle then cover the pudding bowl. 7 - Place onto a baking sheet then onto the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Test by inserting a knitting needle or something similar, it should come out clean. 8 - Turn onto a plate or serving dish and serve to your grateful guests with custard, créme fraiche, Greek yoghurt or whipped cream. Posted by A Pasty with a Pinch If you have not read Tastes Of Britain yet, I urge you to at least give it a go. Any magazine that champions the smaller producer and encourages seasonal British influenced food has to be a very positive thing for any food lover in this country. I'm proud to be writing for a publication that has its morals in the right place, putting great food first and singing our amazing produce from the rooftops.

The problem I have writing for a magazine is that like all submissions, they need to be in at least 6 weeks in advance. And that means that I have a lovely recipe that I'm not allowed to tell you about for ages! For an enthusiastic soul like me, that is torture. Thankfully the February edition of Tastes Of Britain is now in the shops. And this month I have dedicated a few pages to my favourite food, the crab. Writing about crabs comes quite naturally to me as I adore them. I can eat them in large quantities and experiment with them in recipes without ever getting bored. I have said this before, but my final meal on this earth would be a plain boiled crab with a little mustard mayonnaise and decent bread. I would die a happy man! One of the recipes I wrote for Tastes Of Britain were my crab, swede and leek pasties. The crab meat has been slightly devilled with marvellous English mustard and Worcester Sauce, and it pairs quite magnificently with small cubes of sweet swede and luscious leeks. They fill the house with mouth watering aromas and it is difficult not eating the whole tray when they have been removed from the oven.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Crab, Swede and Leek Pasties 1 leek, halved and sliced 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil 25g butter 1 small swede, peeled and diced into small cubes 1 tbsp Cider vinegar 300g crabmeat, brown and white Salt and pepper 1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry A little milk 1 – Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C, GM6. 2 – In a non-stick pan, heat up the oil and butter then add the leeks. Cook gently for 5 minutes until softened but not coloured. 3 – Add the cubed swede and heat through for a further minute. 4 – Stir in the crab meat, vinegar, cayenne pepper, Worcester sauce and English mustard along with a good grinding of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Taste for seasoning. 5 – On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry. Cut out discs approximately 5 inches in diameter. Place tablespoons of the crab mixture into the centre of the pastry. 6 – Dampen the edges of the pastry with milk then fold over and press the edges together.

Crimp with a fork. 7 – Brush with milk then bake on a high shelf for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Delicious hot or cold. Posted by Are You Game? A lot of food available in modern age Great Britain tends to have the tag, 'I don't eat it because I don't know what to do with it'. Any fish that isn't a cod or a haddock has that tag. Vegetables such as celeriac or fennel have that tag. And game certainly has that tag. In the United Kingdom, we have arguably the best game in the world, with special reference to Scotland. The climate and landscape is ideal for the likes of deer to roam and graze making Scotland the envy of much of Europe. At this time of the year, game is in abundance yet we still don't seem to know what to do with it and turn to the chicken, beef and lamb again. Half of the problem with game, especially venison, is that if not cooked properly it can be as dry as leather. And that puts people off, making us think that you need some special skills to cook it. But it should not be feared.

Just lower the cooking time, regularly baste and ensure it is rested. If you give yourself a break from the common meats of today and give game a chance, you may just change your life. Low in fat and cholesterol, low in cost, meaty and tasty, sustainable and naturally free range (in most instances, always buy from a reputable source), it should be the natural choice for us Brits. Try this simple recipe for a saddle of roe if you don't believe me. The marinade may seem like a long list but they are all essential store cupboard ingredients. It can be experimented with and it makes the most sensational sauce when reduced. Dead easy!

Roast Saddle of Roe 300g saddle of roe, boned, rolled and tied Salt and pepper 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly, or similar For the marinade 2 large glasses of red wine 1 carrot, chopped 1 whole clove of garlic 1 star anise A few whole black peppercorns 2 bay leaves A sprig of thyme or a tsp of dried thyme 2 tbsp honey 1 - 24 hours in advance, put all of the marinade ingredients into a pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. This will take out the alcohol which can draw out moisture from the meat, as well as ensure maximum flavour. Cool down then place the saddle of roe in. Place in the fridge and leave for a day or so, turning every now and again. 2 - When ready to eat, remove the saddle and strain the marinade into a small pan. 3 - Pre-heat the oven to GM8, 220 degrees C. Season the roe. 4 - Heat up the oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Quickly seal the meat all over.

Throw in the butter then quickly baste the meat, then place on a high shelf in the oven. For a piece of meat this small, cook for 12-15 minutes rare, 20 minutes medium. Do not cook well done or it will be like leather. 5 - Remove the meat, cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes. 6 - Reduce the marinade until thickened. Add the jelly and melt. Finally stir in a knob of butter. Taste for seasoning. 7 - Serve sliced into thick steaks with my pan haggerty and some greens. Posted by Pantastic As a child, staple food in our Geordie household consisted of anything potato based. So it could have been mashed potato with cabbage and bacon, chips, bubble and squeak or just boiled potatoes with gravy. I think I grew up thinking that potato had to be eaten with each meal or I would come down with some horrible illness. There could be no other reason for it featuring on my tea time plate each day. One potato based dish that was always my favourite, and served to me at least once a week, was a pan haggerty, or panackelty depending on which side of the Tyne you were born.

A traditional Northumbrian dish, pan haggerty is basically thinly sliced potato and onion, layered in a frying pan and cooked on a low heat. I've no idea if it derives from the French and their various 'thinly sliced potato' dishes or not. The word 'haggerty' is said to derive from the French word for slice, 'hachis', so possibly it does. But I prefer to think romantically that it is a Geordie born dish derived from cheap and plentiful filling ingredients. Either way, it is absolutely delicious. Techniques for cooking a pan haggerty vary all over the North East, making it one of those classic dishes which can create a heated debate amongst housewives, often leading to violence. For example, when I made this dish on MasterChef Goes Large last year, my mam rang me immediately after watching it not to congratulate me on reaching the semi-finals, but to berate me for making it incorrectly. 'It should have corned beef in it and cooked in a little water for hours on end!', she explained. I couldn't argue as this was the very food I ate every week when I lived at home. And I didn't want a clip around the ear.

My version is, well, my version. No frills, very easy to make and absolutely moreish. Crunchy and golden on the bottom, soft and gooey in the middle, cheesy and bubbling on the top. It can be made as little individual pan haggertys like in the recipe below, or it can be made in a large ovenproof frying pan. Just increase the quantities. It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge and is amazing cold or reheated and a brilliant accompaniment to roasts or as a variation on roast potatoes for your Sunday lunch. Pan haggerty or panackelty. Who cares, as long as it is delicious. Just don't argue with your mam about it... Pan Haggerty Makes one individual, quadruple the ingredients for 1 full frying pan Half an onion, sliced thinly 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 floury potato such as King Edward, sliced thinly Salt and pepper 1 tbsp goose fat, lard or vegetable oil A little Cheddar cheese, grated 1 - Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C, GM6.

2 - In an ovenproof frying pan, heat up the vegetable oil and cook the onion for 5 minutes until softened and beginning to caramelise. Remove and set aside on kitchen towel. 3 - Wipe the pan clean, place back onto the heat then add your fat of choice. Place a chef's ring into the pan and add a layer of potatoes, making a neat ring. Add some of the cooked onions then salt and pepper. Continue in this fashion until you have filled the chef's ring. 4 - Spoon over some of the melted fat. Cover with foil then place on a high shelf in the oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes. Remove the foil. Test the potato with a sharp knife, it should glide in easily. 5 - Put the grill on high. Sprinkle a little grated cheese onto the potato then place under the grill until golden and bubbly. Run a knife around the edge then plate. These will keep in the fridge for 2 days. Posted by Resolute in Resolutions Happy New Year everybody. I have to assume that you are all experiencing that familiar 2nd January sensation of aching livers and sore eyes. After the traditional excess of Christmas and New Year it is no surprise.

And oh how it hurts. The only way I can tackle any descending darkness at the realisation that the party is over is to throw myself into the kitchen and cook. Your body is now crying out for something fresh and vibrant to pick up your senses and heal your sore organs. Hopefully the nibbles and booze have all been consumed so that you can concentrate on something simple, fresh and body beneficial. I like to turn to the Indian spices when I am feeling under the weather. The heat along with antioxidant packed foods such as onions, garlic and ginger make me feel alive again and help banish any despondency. Some fresh Northumberland mussels, fat and juicy and packed with flavour, were the perfect addition to a simple spiced potato broth. A great way to start the year. Simple, fresh, packed full of flavour and healthy. I'm looking forward to 2008 and I hope that you are too. All the best.

Spiced Mussel and Potato Broth Feeds 2 1 thumb size of ginger, grated 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 tsp garam masala 1 tbsp groundnut oil 1 large potato, peeled and diced 500g fresh mussels, washed and beards removed, discarding any that do not close after a sharp tap 500ml water Fresh coriander Salt and pepper 1 - In a large pan, heat up the oil then add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes until softened and slightly coloured then add the ginger, garlic and spices. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. 2 - Stir in the potatoes and stir for 1 minute until covered in the spice mixture. Pour in the water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are softened. 3 - Tip in the mussels, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes. 4 - Taste for seasoning. It may not need salt due to the mussels. Remove any mussels that have not fully opened. 5 - Serve in bowls with lots of fresh coriander and a spoonful of fresh yoghurt.

A squeeze of lime juice benefits. Posted by

Question: What is the principal ingredient of the Northumbrian dish 'pan haggerty'?
Answer: Potatoes